Madeira Mountain Biking

Madeira is a volcanic Atlantic island that rides all year, with shuttle-served enduro descents dropping from the high mountain plateaus through ancient laurel forest towards the sea. The regional forestry authority licenses more than twenty dedicated mountain bike trails across Madeira and Porto Santo, including the Porto Moniz Cycling Centre at Fanal, with two cross-country loops and six enduro descents certified by the Portuguese Cycling Federation, and newer licensed trails above Funchal and around Poiso. Most visiting riders ride with a local guide and van shuttle, linking licensed trails and forest roads into long descending days on rocky, rooty volcanic terrain. Riding needs a licence from the forestry authority, and the classified walking routes, including most of the famous levada walks, are off-limits to bikes, so this is a destination to plan properly rather than simply turn up and explore.

The Trails

Madeira's riding is spread across the island rather than based at a single site, and it falls into three broad types: the licensed trails and certified trail centre, the forest road network that links them, and the longer enduro descents that local guides string together into shuttle days. Terrain is steep and varied: rocky volcanic singletrack and old stone paths on the high ground, soft, rooty trails through laurel and heather forest lower down, and wide forest roads across the plateaus. Wet clay on the higher trails can be very slippery, so expect grip to change quickly with the weather.

Porto Moniz Cycling Centre, Fanal

• Madeira's certified trail centre sits in the Fanal forest in the north-west of the island, inside the Laurisilva, the UNESCO World Heritage laurel forest, among old, moss-covered til trees.
• Zone 1 has two circular cross-country routes graded green and blue: A Lagoa, and Montado do Fanal, a longer loop that can be split in two, with its second half almost all singletrack.
• Zone 2 is a signposted enduro circuit of six linked descents: Boca do Vão, Pico dos Verdes (1.1km), Cabeço da Entroza (2.2km, opening with a steep, demanding section and crossing the Levada dos Cedros), Curral Falso (0.8km), Chã da Toca (1.5km, dropping over 550m) and Tranquada (1.2km).
• The centre has around 26km of trails in total, with a support building near Foz da Ribeira da Janela offering changing rooms and a bike wash.

Licensed Trails in the Central Mountains

• Poiso, on the ER103 in the mountains above Funchal, is the hub for several licensed trails, including Poiso to Chão das Aboboreiras (4.1km, medium difficulty), Poiso to Boieiros and Camacha, and João do Prado to Lamaceiros towards the east coast.
• Above Funchal, between Santo António and São Roque, three licensed trails at Pico do Cedro, Bucho and Estaca add around 7.6km of enduro descending, built and maintained by a local club working with the forestry authority.
• On the north side, Pico das Pedras near Santana (2.5km, medium) and a short, steep descent to São Jorge (1.4km, high difficulty) drop through the forest towards the coast.
• In the west, around the Paul da Serra plateau and above Calheta, licensed trails run from Bica da Cana to Lameirinhas, Pico da Pedreira and Pico dos Bodes to Lombo da Velha, and Pico Gordo to Lombo da Atouguia, ranging from intermediate to advanced.
• Porto Santo, the neighbouring island, also has three licensed trails.

Guided Enduro and Shuttle Days

Beyond the licensed trails, most visiting riders explore Madeira on guided shuttle days, where a van climbs the mountain roads and a local guide leads long descents, often well over 1,000m from the high plateaus towards the coast. Guides know which trails are currently open and permitted, which matters on an island where access rules are strict and conditions change with the weather. Several companies also run cross-country and e-bike tours on forest roads and quieter trails.

Access Rules

• Riding in Madeira's forest areas is regulated by the Institute of Forests and Nature Conservation (IFCN), the regional government body. A licence from IFCN lets you ride the licensed trails and the forest road network, and you apply for it online through the regional government's Simplifica portal. See the IFCN mountain biking page for the current rules and a map of the licensed trails. If you ride with a guiding company, ask whether their licence covers you.
• Do not ride the classified walking routes, the numbered PR trails, which include most of the famous levada walks and the high mountain paths between Pico do Arieiro and Pico Ruivo. Regional law bars vehicles of any kind from them, and fines for individuals start at EUR 250.
• Levada paths are narrow, often exposed and busy with walkers, so give way to people on foot wherever a trail meets or crosses one.
• Trails in the Madeira Natural Park are subject to periodic closures after wildfires, storms and landslides. Always check the IFCN website for current notices before you ride.

Guides, Shuttles and Hire

There is no lift on Madeira, so uplift means a van shuttle. Most visiting riders book a guided day, where a minibus climbs the mountain roads and a local guide picks descents to suit the group and the conditions that week, often dropping 1,000m or more towards the coast. Operators also run cross-country and e-bike tours, hire out full-suspension and e-bikes, and sell multi-day packages with accommodation. As a rough guide, a full day of guided enduro shuttling costs around EUR 85 to 90 per person with your own bike, or around EUR 135 to 150 including a hire bike, and half days start from around EUR 50 with your own bike.

• Bike Tour Madeira Island: guided enduro shuttle days and half days, mountain bike hire, bike holidays and a workshop, based at Ponta do Pargo in the west of the island.
• Discovery Island Madeira: an easy half-day guided mountain bike descent from Pico do Arieiro towards Portela, with bike and kit included, run from Funchal.
• E-Bike Madeira: guided e-bike, e-enduro and shuttle-assisted enduro tours, hire of mountain, enduro, gravel, road and e-bikes, bike holidays and repairs, from a shop on Estrada Monumental in Funchal.
• Freeride Madeira: van-assisted guided enduro days, e-MTB and cross-country tours, bike hire and tailor-made bike holidays, based in Funchal. It maintains trails on the island and co-organises the Trans Madeira race.
• Lokoloko Madeira: guided half-day and full-day enduro rides with shuttles on the east and west of the island, plus cross-country and easier tours, with bikes and protection included, based in Caniço de Baixo.
• MADBIKE Madeira: guided enduro shuttle days and half days, e-bike tours and private group days, with enduro bike hire and hotel pickups around Funchal.

Riding on Madeira needs an IFCN licence and the classified walking routes are closed to bikes, so ask any operator which routes it rides, how they fit the rules, and whether its licence covers you as a guided rider. Prices are correct as of September 2026 but subject to change, so check current rates with the operator. The Visit Madeira mountain biking page lists licensed trails and further bike tour companies.

Getting There from the UK

Madeira Airport, on the east coast at Santa Cruz, has direct flights from several UK airports, and the flight takes around four hours. Funchal, the island's capital and the usual base for riders, is around 20 minutes' drive from the airport, and the west of the island and Fanal are more like an hour or more away on steep, winding roads.

Madeira Airport has strict wind limits, so flights are sometimes delayed, cancelled or diverted when the wind is strong, most often to Porto Santo or mainland Portugal. This can happen in any season, so build a little slack into your plans and check your travel insurance covers disruption.

Bikes travel as checked sports luggage in a bike box or bag, booked in advance with your airline. Many riders hire instead: guiding companies and bike shops rent modern full-suspension enduro bikes and e-bikes, which avoids the hassle of flying with a bike. If you plan to ride independently, hire a car, since the trailheads are high in the mountains and the roads between them are steep.

When to Go

Madeira rides all year. Coastal temperatures stay mild through the winter, which makes it a popular escape from UK mud between November and March, though that is also when the island is wettest, especially on the north side and at altitude, where cloud, fog and rain can close in quickly. The south coast around Funchal stays drier. May to October is the driest, most reliable period, and spring and autumn combine good trail conditions with fewer visitors than high summer.

Much of the riding starts between 1,100m and 1,800m, so expect it to be much cooler and sometimes wet at the top even on a warm day at sea level, and pack a waterproof layer. After heavy rain the clay on the higher trails gets very slippery, and exposed trails are best avoided in fog. The Trans Madeira six-day enduro race crosses the island each spring and has added an autumn edition, and summer, Easter and the Christmas and New Year holidays are the busiest times on the island, so book accommodation and guided days early for those periods.

If you are making a longer Portugal trip, Lousã, in the hills of central Portugal near Coimbra, has World Cup downhill tracks, long shuttle-served enduro descents and published cross country loops.

Where to Stay

Funchal is the most practical base for most riders: it has by far the widest choice of hotels, apartments and guesthouses, it is close to Poiso and the licensed trails above the city, and most guided shuttle days start from or collect riders around the south coast. Caniço, Santa Cruz and Machico on the east side are handy for the airport and for the eastern trails, and are quieter than the city. If you want to focus on the Porto Moniz Cycling Centre and the Paul da Serra plateau, stay in the west, around Calheta, Porto Moniz or Ribeira da Janela, where rural guesthouses and self-catering houses put you close to Fanal. Many guiding companies sell multi-day packages that bundle accommodation, shuttles and bike hire, which is often the simplest way to plan a first trip.

Local Organisations

• Save the Trail is the Madeira Cycling Association's trail care project, running volunteer trail days with local clubs, guiding companies, IFCN and the island's councils to clean and maintain mountain bike trails across the island.
• Clube Caniço Riders is a local club that builds and maintains trails with IFCN, including the licensed trails above Funchal, and co-organises the Trans Madeira race.

Share

• If you have visited Madeira, please share your reviews, photos, and videos to this listing.